French Conversation · Level 49
75 words
French word
catastrophe
Pronunciation
IPA/katastʁɔf/
Meaning
- feminine noundisaster
Example
La catastrophe a causé beaucoup de dégâts.
The disaster caused a great deal of damage.
More examples
Les prévisions parlent d'un risque de catastrophe si rien n'est fait.
The forecasts mention a risk of catastrophe if nothing is done.
Core concept
A powerful chain of failure leaves widespread damage behind, whether the collapse is physical or figurative.
Common phrases
un risque de catastrophe
a risk of catastrophe
une catastrophe imminente
an imminent catastrophe
Similar words
désastre: A severe event that harms many people or a wide area and is hard to recover from.
drame: A deeply distressing event marked by intense sorrow or tension.
accident: An unexpected event causing injury or damage to property.
incident: A relatively minor problem or event that usually causes no major damage.
Definition in French
Échec ou désastre de grande ampleur, réel ou figuré, provoquant des conséquences dramatiques.
Word origin
The French noun was borrowed through Latin from Greek katastrophe, which referred to an overturning or decisive change and combined kata, down, with strophe, turning.
Usage tips
- In everyday French, catastrophe can describe a relatively minor mishap in an emphatic phrase such as C'est la catastrophe!, so context sets the seriousness.
Other meanings
- tragedynoun
- ruinnoun
- fiasconoun
Opposites
- réussitesuccessnoun
Related words
- catastrophiquecatastrophicadjective
- catastrophiquementcatastrophicallyadverb
- catastrophismecatastrophismnoun